The Colonel & Hermes: a bonded pair who waited for a special woman to realize that
she was missing two furry family members.

They were not high-maintenance pets. They asked only for loving arms, enough
food, and clean litter boxes. They talked, but not too much.
They cuddled, but didnt hog the bed. They were playful,
without being overly mischievous.

What wasn't to love about these two?

Moved to this foster home September 25, 2011
Adopted out July 20, 2012
10 years old
Bonded Pair: Must be placed together

The owner, my mother, is in failing health. My husband and
I have had the cats at our home but are both very allergic. We're expecting
our first child late in the summer and the allergy medication is difficult
to stomach during pregnancy. There also won't be enough room for 2 cats and
a new baby in our home-- we also have a 12 year old kill shelter rescued Chihuahua.

From the boys themselves: We like this foster home
a lot, but would really like to be in a place that we can call our own. Won't
you please realize that your life is not complete without us and bring us
home?

There's a clown that tries to get in every picture, isn't there? Future Seeing
Eye trainee Frosty insisted on sitting in on the photo shoot with the two
cats.

Colonel and Hermes are very good with the dogs here. They quickly taught
Frosty, who arrived in December at 7 weeks old, what was acceptable to do
and what he should never, ever try with a cat.

Frosty is a six-month old Labrador; we also have a Great Dane and a Corgi/Cattledog
that intermingle with the cats. Both cats stand their ground with the dogs,
and will vocally complain if one decides to sniff for a little too long.

They are a little leary of Paige due to her size, but have no problem being
in the same room as any of the pups.

Colonel
walks across my dresser as Hermes snoozes at the corner of our waterbed. All
three dogs sleep on various dog beds that are in the bedroom.

These two may do wonderfully with dogs, but there have been some issues with
the other cats that live here.

Our two cats that are nearing 12 years old do well with Hermes and Colonel.
For the most part they ignore each other. Our cat, Whisper, will swat at Hermes
if he comes too close, or if she just feels the urge to remind him that she
would rather he find his own home. There is no fighting between those four.

It's different with our two-four-year-old cats. Hermes will chase them down
when he is able, and there have been several altercations over the last few
months. The latest one in April resulted in one of my cats losing some fur,
and Hermes having his ear punctured. Colonel chose to run away and avoid the
entire conflict. There have been other times where the two worked in tandom
to harrass our younger cats.

None of the fights have resulted in wounds to my cats. There has been no
misplaced aggression from Hermes or Colonel when I've interceeded; I'm able
to pick Hermes up and carry him to another room without him hissing at me
or displaying any inapporpriate behavior to me. [I have lived with two cats
that would attack people who tried to break up their spats with another cat,
so this is important for me to note.]

Will they do well being adopted by a family who already has cats? They may,
but it all depends on the personalities of all involved. Introducing slowly
will be important: keep these two separated for the minimum two week period
recommended by Siamese Cat Rescue.

How
do these two dog friendly, cat iffy, cats spend their time in our house? There
are several bedrooms they spend their time in. Each has a water fountain (I
prefer those over water bowls for my cats), cat toys, comfortable bedding,
and places the cats can get up to explore and stretch their legs. Being kept
separate doesn't mean they have to be cooped up and bored!

In the morning when I can easily corral our cats for breakfast, Colonel and
Hermes get fed too and are allowed run of the house. An hour, or few hours
later, they return to a bedroom and mine come out. This may get repeated during
the day, if I'm home and my cats cooperate (two of them aren't the most handleable
and I have to wait until they cooperate). Dinner time sees my cats being closed
in my bedroom again, and Hermes and Colonel getting to come out and spend
time with my family. When I check on the boys during the day, they appear
comfortable: they are normally sleeping, either curled up together or in separate
places in the room. There's been no scratching to get out, and no mournful
crying from them for attention. They get plenty from us. My husband cannot
understand why these two sensational cats are still here with us. They are
so sweet and affectionate, it is surprising.

They eat Taste of the Wild or Wellness (both grain-free dry foods), portioned
out into 1/4 cup each in the morning and half of that at night. At dinner
they split a 3 oz. can of the same in addition to the dry. If I have the 5
oz. can, they receive 1/4 can per serving. They have no complaints about eating
cold canned food, which is something my cats tend to turn their noses up at.
These boys are not picky; they appreciate whatever is put in front of them!
Due to their excess weight, free-feeding is not something that will work for
them.

I have covered and uncovered litter boxes here; they use both. All are filled
with scoopable litter, and the boys have never refused to use a box due to
the type or filling.

These
two are very easy going cats who adjust to change fairly well. These pictures
were taking in April of 2012, when they were almost adopted and needed to
visit the veterinarian for a final health check. The adoption fell through,
but it did give me the opportunity to get some cute photos.

Since it was one of the last appointments of the day, the boys were allowed
to roam the exam room while I finished working [I'm a receptionist for the
practice]. Instead of hiding beneath the exam table like many cats would,
these two chose to explore. While Doctor Bell was examining Colonel, Hermes
was trying to open the cabinet door. When checked on shortly after that, it
was to find that Hermes had successfully opened the cabinet, and Colonel had
made himself comfortable inside.

These two are characters!

What did their vet visit find? Colonel is in wonderful health. I took advantage
of my work discount and ran a complete blood panel that included a urinalysis
and fecal. His results were spectacular, and no parasites were found.

I had noticed a foul smell from Hermes mouth, which was part of the reason
I had initially brought him in. We discovered he also had torn a nail completely
off his toe. Dr. Bell felt he could use a dental, which Siamese Cat Rescue
quickly gave permission for. His blood work had a few minor abnormalities,
and his urinalysis showed that he had a urinary tract infection too. He was
placed on Clindamycin pre-dental to help with his mouth and toe, and switched
to Amoxicillin post-dental due to some loose stool from the first medication.
He is a cat that is easy to dose; I simply squirted his medicine on top of
his food.

Meet Colonel, a stately Snowshoe Siamese

He was over 19 pounds of purring love when he entered the program. He's
down to 18.2 as of April 2012!

Introducing Hermes, a magnificent blue Siamese

He was 16 pounds of lap cat in the fall. He's now down to a svelte 14.6
pounds as of May 2012!

born 5/03/02

From Hermes' former owner:

Hermes is an active boy and a little loving clown. He is
very smart and a problem solver, he is very affectionate and loves to be held,
cuddled and sit beside his owner. He likes to hunt bugs and can be single
minded when he's on the prowl.

This pair may not do everything together, but they are side by side enough
that they will not be separated.